Steeda Put Its NA 2018 Mustang Deeper Into The 10-Second Zone

The 2018 Mustang continues to impress when modified. Whether it is strapped with a power adder or breathing au naturel, the latest Coyote stallions are potent performers. Case it point is the Silver Bullet that Steeda Director of Manufacturing and Engineering Scott Boda drove to the first naturally aspirated 10-second pass by the current pony car.

I honestly believe that the way the car sits, it’s got a 10.6 in it. — Scott Boda, Steeda

After achieving that goal, the Steeda team made a few tweaks to the combination before bringing the car out to the NMRA season opener in Bradenton, Florida, where it ran a bit quicker.

“The first 10-second pass was run with the first-gen prototype Steeda CAI. Unfortunately this unit shrunk by 5mm during our testing,” Scott explained. “We bolted up the new one once we got to Bradenton and our fuel tables were off by 5 percent lean! So we knew we were flowing even more air! We also added the QA1 carbon driveshaft before heading down to NMRA.”

Those changes obviously worked, as the car ran consistently in the warmer air, allowing Scott to improve upon his record-setting pass.

During a test session at SGMP, Steeda’s Scott Boda clicked off a 10.71-second pass at over 128 MPH in the company’s Silver Bullet 2018 Mustang GT, which features bolt-on upgrades and no power adder. (Photo Credit: Steeda)

“At NMRA we ran a 10.96 in the heat of the day at full weight for our test hit,” he added. “Then we backed it up with a 11.055 average in True Street, running an 11.16, a 10.98 and an 11.01.”

After the race, the Steeda team removed some superfluous items — the passenger seat, back seat, floor mats, and washer fluid  to drop some weight, and headed to an evening test session at South Georgia Motorsports Park. The result fired the Silver Bullet from the high-10s to the mid-10s.

Steeda 2018 Mustang GT Mods

• American Racing Headers long-tube headers w/ bullet mufflers and dumps

• Custom Steeda calibration delivered with SCT Performance tuner

• VP Racing Fuels C85

• Ford Performance Parts 4.09 rearend gears

• Mickey Thompson ET Street R rear tires, 305/45-17

• QA1 Rev Series carbon fiber driveshaft

• Race Star Recluse wheels

• Steeda drag springs,

• Steeda billet shock mounts

• Steeda Pro Action adjustable rear shocks

• Steeda drag sway bar

• Steeda rear lower control arm bearings

• Steeda black urethane differential bushings

• Steeda IRS subframe support braces

• Steeda IRS subframe bushing support system

• Steeda IRS subframe alignment kit

• Steeda S550 Mustang rear lower control arm spherical bearings

• Steeda prototype, 3D-printed cold air intake

“The 10.71 run was made 8:36 p.m. on Friday and the density altitude dropped another 300 feet while we were there,” Scott added. “We started fighting some computer relearning issues that prevented us from going faster even though we dropped the 60-foot another .01 to a 1.63. I honestly believe that the way the car sits, it’s got a 10.6 in it.”

Let that sink in for a minute. Running solidly in the mid-10s with a bolt-on 2018 Mustang is a realistic goal if you follow the basic recipe of mods on this car. And, there was no real trickery to the passes in a car with a stock 10R80 10-speed automatic.

A key component of this combo is the prototype, 3D-printed version of Steeda’s forthcoming cold air intake designed specifically with the 2018 Mustang in mind.

“Launching was at around 2,000 RPM with a stab-and-lift technique to flash the stock converter the best we can,” Scott explained. “All runs were performed with the gear selector in Sport mode. Our base model doesn’t have those other fancy modes. We save that stuff for the South Florida crew.”

Up next, the Steeda crew plans to add lightweight Baer brakes, its own adjustable front coilovers, and a new torque converter. With some revised tuning and a possible gear swap, the car should run deeper into the 10s.

Article Sources

About the author

Steve Turner

Steve Turner brings decades of passion and knowledge in the world of Ford performance, having covered it for over 20 years. From the swan song of the Fox Mustang to the birth of the Coyote, Steve had a front-row seat.
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